Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Yakima County staff to draft resolution to negotiate sale of county water rights amid Ecology rule shift
Summary
County staff briefed commissioners on a proposed resolution to authorize negotiation of fee‑simple sales of county-owned water rights to support a 96‑bed farmworker housing project and to help establish a county water bank; commissioners directed staff to bring the resolution forward and pursue legislative and administrative fixes.
Yakima County commissioners on Monday reviewed a proposed resolution that would authorize county staff to negotiate the sale of a portion of county-owned water rights to qualifying applicants, a step tied to a requested purchase by a grower pursuing farmworker housing.
The resolution, drafted by county public‑services staff, would let staff negotiate fee‑simple sales of county water rights while requiring the county's existing real property management policy — including public notice and a public hearing — be completed before any final sale.
County staff said the item stems from a recent change in how the Washington State Department of Ecology is interpreting the classification of new water uses. David (public services staff) told commissioners that Ecology’s interpretation now treats some small water uses — notably new H‑2A farmworker housing and certain small…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
